


iSANiTY: Cold Hearts

by ZeroFoxGiven



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action, F/M, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-08-28 19:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8459545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroFoxGiven/pseuds/ZeroFoxGiven
Summary: Repost from our FFN.
"They've kept us hidden behind twisted lies and binary code, but our age of peaceful anonymity has ended..." 
When high-tech and deadly organization iSANiTY emerges from their digital slumber, the thin line between morality and necessity is shattered. Judy will face her most dangerous case yet, while Nick must reconcile with a figure from his past in order to save Zootopia. 
Eventual  NickxOC, but focused on platonic relationships and sci-fi/action.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost from FFN. If you see references to reviews or FFN mechanisms, that's why. We're not familiar with this website, so please forgive any errors.
> 
> The following notes are copied directly from FFN:
> 
> Nyxy: Since I'm the one who's good with fancy words, I'll do the explaining here. As you already know, this is a Zootopia fanficton being written by two crazy friends.
> 
> It's fairly AU, but could technically follow the film if the strings were pulled just so. Without giving away too many spoilers, it will focus on our favourite ZPD officers as well as new allies and enemies, most of who will have ties to the iSANiTY experiments of Feralhights City. Expect plenty of action, futuristic gadgets and general adventure with a healthy dose of friendship, sarcasm and good times. There will also be an eventual romance, but we're not gonna rush into that part right away.
> 
> As for iSANiTY and their small but determined challenger BlackIce, you'll have to read the fic and find out. What I will say is that it features cybernetically enhanced animals, around 3/4 of who have been corrupted by iSANiTY's distorted worldview.
> 
> As the stakes begin to rise, what originally seemed like a handful of unrelated high-tech crimes may turn out to be something far older and more elaborate than anyone could've possibly imagined. Join the ZPD's Judy and Nick as well as mysterious newcomers BlackIce as they battle against unknown foes, old feelings and a group of criminals so good at what they do, they're considered by most to be nothing more than speculative fiction. It'll take everything Zootopia's got to bring them down, but sometimes the hardest choice is the ONLY choice.
> 
> The main genres featured are Science Fiction, Adventure, Friendship and Romance, though I'm sure you'll find others if you look hard enough. A word of warning to all you shippers out there: this fic is NOT Judy x Nick. Why? Because neither of us ship it. We've got nothing against those who do, it's just not our thing, and as friends with a similar dynamic, we prefer them as super-close besties. There aren't nearly enough meaningful platonic relationships in fiction these days that don't turn romantic, so we're gonna leave them as friends.
> 
> Oh, and an even more important warning: this fic has a very high chance of eventually featuring a Nick x OC pairing, so if you're not cool with that, I'd suggest skipping. Hey, it was Steffi's idea, and she's insanely stubborn when she gets something in her head... and yeah, I can hear the back buttons clicking already. C'est la vie.
> 
> Steffi: K, Nyx that's enough :C So welcome peeps, and thanks for not clicking back! If you haven't skipped the wall of text (and I don't blame you if you did XD) then you'll know a bit about this story and what it'll eventually feature. Cool right?
> 
> Now, for what you've been waiting for! The actual story!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: We don't own anything here, and we're not making any money, so please Let It Go, Disney?

Judy Hopps sat wordlessly beside her partner Nick Wilde as they waited for Chief Bogo to finish handing out the day's assignments, tapping her paw absentmindedly as she went over the same case in her mind for what had to be at least the hundredth time that morning.

_"Officers Fangmeyer and Wolford..."_

She felt someone bump against her arm and heard Nick make some sarcastic quip, but if she were being honest, her attention was focused elsewhere at the moment.

Ever since they'd been assigned to the first case of mysterious amnesia, she'd had a hard time turning off her inner detective. Filling a page with scribbled notes and theories, the bunny had spent the last few nights hunched over her desk as she flipped though a case file barely thicker than the one that had started it all, with nothing but lamplight and the noise of her neighbors to keep her company.

So far, she hadn't been able to find anything useful, but the spirited animal wasn't about to give up. _If there was one thing Judy knew, it was that hard work and determination paid off in the end._

Now, one case of amnesia could easily be passed off as something just a bit out of the ordinary, perhaps the result of a simple accident. However, when a second incident with an identical set of bizarre similarities emerged, Judy knew right away she'd stumbled upon something bigger. What exactly that something was had yet to be discovered, but the bunny cop was determined that with a bit of help, she'd figure it out.

Going over the details yet again, Judy had to admit it was one of the strangest and most difficult cases she'd encountered so far. The victims themselves couldn't have been more different if they'd tried. One had been a wealthy middle-aged female antelope, the other a male badger barely out of his teens and already living off the streets.

Ms. Hoofington hadn't been able to recall any notable occurrences from within the last year aside from purchasing her current residence, while Mr. Underhill remembered a few sporadic events but couldn't name the current mayor or date when prompted. Both mammals had been utterly useless when it came to recounting the details of their encounter, and due to the amount of fear and confusion she'd witnessed during the interviews, Judy was sure they weren't holding anything back on purpose.

What made matters even more complicated were how many features the incidents shared, with descriptions matching closely enough that Judy was convinced they'd been committed by the same mammal or mammals. Both victims had been knocked unconscious by an animal careful to avoid causing any excessive injury, displayed identically tiny facial wounds, and had received basic treatment from someone with a reasonable amount of medical knowledge before waking up.

If that weren't strange enough, absolutely nothing of value had been taken from either of them, which included their IDs, credit cards, a brand new phone and the designer purse filled with a thousand or so dollars that Ms. Hoofington had been carrying at the time of her attack.

_Whoever they were,_ Judy concluded, _they weren't your average money-hungry criminals._ Nick had been the one to point out how both cases had occurred in areas without any form of surveillance or monitoring, something which given the nature of the events, seemed far too intentional to be passed off as a mere coincidence. It suggested a great deal of foresight, and that whoever committed the crimes had known their chosen area quite well...

"Hey, Earth to Carrots!"

Her train of thought interrupted, Judy's ears perked up in surprise as she caught a glimpse of Delgato's tail exiting through the doorway and realized with a start that her and her partner were the last two in the room. She immediately turned her attention to Bogo, whose expression of annoyance was a dead giveaway that she'd been caught staring into space during their briefing.

"Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde, you'll be interested to know that another witness was found for Monday night's amnesia case. The couple you interviewed yesterday came across her in one of their photographs, and it will be your job to track her down and interview her. The images were taken about half an hour before the discovery of Mr. Underhill, so she may not have been in the direct area, but I have my suspicions. Wilde, there's a good chance your _special connections_ will make this easier, so I expect that you won't disappoint us. Dismissed."

After collecting their file from a donut-murdering Clawhauser, they sat down to look over the somewhat meager new evidence. Calmly sipping his coffee, the fox watched as Judy studied a somewhat blurry image with curiosity, turning it over a few times as though that would somehow reveal their witness's identity.

"Well, what have we got?" Nick asked, leaning on the counter with his usual confidence and half-lidded expression.

"Arctic fox by the looks of it," Judy said, noticing out of the corner of her eye how his ears pricked in interest at the mention of another fox, "and I love her outfit."

Nick laughed, taking another sip from his cup. "Typical Carrots, admiring fashion statements while we're supposed to be solving a case."

When he caught sight of the image, however, his eyes widened in shock and he practically choked on his favorite blueberry specialty brew. Judy found this reaction oddly amusing, especially now that he was struggling in vain to regain his usual composure.

_"What's wrong, Nick,"_ she asked sweetly, "is she another crime boss who took advantage of your wonderful deal on skunk butt rugs?"

"No, worse," he muttered quietly, looking over the image with a dumbfounded expression, not all that unlike someone unfortunate enough to have been struck in the face by a particularly large salmon.

_"Worse?"_ Judy inquired dramatically, her face alight with mock terror. "You mean she's a secret international assassin out for your blood?"

Nick glared at her, and she'd never seen the fox struggle so obviously when it came to thinking up a witty response.

"You're pretty close with that one, but still a no."

The bunny giggled, throwing up her paws in surrender. "Alright, alright, I give up! Who is she really?"

Tugging awkwardly at the collar of his uniform, the fox's ears dropped as he sighed darkly in defeat.

"If you absolutely must know, she's my ex."

Judy's jaw practically fell open, and she stayed completely silent for what felt like a very long few seconds. She'd expected the arctic vixen to be someone Nick owed money to, or the victim of some con he'd pulled off, but this was too good! It was as though she'd been handed unlimited cheat codes to their game of snarky banter, and she'd be darned if she didn't make good use of them.

A wide grin spread across the bunny's face as she began to laugh uncontrollably, slamming her paw against the counter as she tried desperately to catch her breath.

Clawhauser, who was so engrossed in watching Gazelle's new music video that he'd been oblivious to the entire conversation, nearly dropped his phone from the sudden influx of noise. Setting it down rather awkwardly, he watched the other animals with confusion written all over his chubby, cheerful form.

_"No way," Judy gasped, "you should've seen the look on your face when you first saw that picture!_ I thought she was someone who'd been plotting to kill you or something."

Nick, who wasn't amused by Judy's outburst or Clawhauser's curious gaze, kept his voice completely deadpan. "She probably is."

This only made the violet-eyed animal laugh harder. He shrugged, trying to play it off with an air of disinterest.

"Hey, if you'd dated someone like her, you'd be scared too." A fairly smooth recovery, but not nearly smooth enough to fool the ZPD's very first rabbit officer.

Judy only managed to mumble something incoherent that sounded a lot like 'dumb fox' before succumbing to another fit of laughter. Whether or not the vixen was actually connected to their case, it was going to be an entertaining day, and the bunny couldn't wait to get going.

_**Two days earlier...** _

_"Scan complete. No video or audio surveillance devices active on the premises. Three mammals in the approximate area, and one is our target. Takedown initiative running clear, so bring 'em around, Wynter,"_ the youthful voice droned, his tone managing to be both lazily technical and deadpan despite the tension of their current situation.

A white form hidden amongst the shadows of Sahara Square sighed quietly, idly tapping at her earring-shaped communication device as she glanced around the corner with anticipation, briefly catching the faint scents of cheap cologne and electronic equipment before they began to mingle unpleasantly with dingy alleyway air.

_"Will do, Otto. I'm switching you to standby for now, but keep your eyes open as always. I'll take it from here until we're ready to cut the wire, if it comes to that."_ Her voice was steely and practiced, masking the sound of a faint accent.

_Operation i37_ was setting up to be another routine case, but the slender mammal kept one pristine white paw on the curved handle of her weapon, taking comfort in the familiarity of its chrome embrace.

Such cold, hard rationality had not been innate in the petite animal's psyche, but she'd learned just a little too quickly how important caution could be in a world gone mad. _By all rights, she shouldn't have even been here._ Only the education unit's best graduating agents were selected to lead Zootopia's elite squad, and she'd barely scraped by as a consideration after finishing in seventh place.

No, if things had worked out differently, she wouldn't be here at all. She was, however, a fact that had less to do with her leadership skills and more to do with the notably high mortality rate of her chosen profession. It wasn't something to be proud of, but she'd long since accepted it and chose instead to focus on the seemingly unending task at paw.

Back pressed uncomfortably flat against a grimy brick wall, she gestured to the three comrades in her field of view with an effortless flick of the wrist. Each gave a brisk nod in response, awaiting further instruction.

"Alright _Icers,_ you know the drill. I knock him down, Sinpurr snips the wire if there is one, Doe recovers our prize and Diesel," she said, turning her attention to a grinning red squirrel clutching a futuristic-looking gun nearly as large as herself, "you're on watch and distract duty. Clear?"

The former two agreed calmly and without a word, but Diesel was not to be outshone quite so easily.

"Aw, come on _boss._ Lemme have some fun, just this once?" Her reflective eyes gleamed with false innocence, but Wynter knew better than to fall for it. She'd been all but taken for a ride by someone far more sly and convincing than Diesel in her youth, and this time the arctic vixen refused to budge. _Another thing chalked up to experience, she thought bitterly._

The rust-colored squirrel opened her mouth to continue the protest, but she wasn't given a chance.

"No," Wynter hissed, cutting her off, "because last time you did that, we almost got caught. We're doing nothing wrong here, but I don't think the authorities would see it that way. Watch and distract duty for you, _kid,"_ she said sarcastically, shaking her head in a show of annoyance.

Puffing out her tiny chest and scowling dramatically, the squirrel made no effort to hide her feelings of frustration and disappointment. Still, she wasn't arguing, and when it came to Diesel, that had to count for something.

Sliding as gracefully as she could along a particularly rough patch of mortar, the white fox grimaced and lowered her ears in miserable defeat when she felt something sharp and jagged tear through thin fabric of her black jumpsuit. The others followed her lead without complaint, and Wynter had to hope for their sake that it wasn't as uncomfortable. Maybe she'd just gotten lucky. _Yeah, right._ Like she'd ever been lucky in her life.

_"Otto, gimme a position check before we run this,"_ she ordered, gently pulling Diesel back from the corner of the alleyway by her tail and earning a defeated chatter in return.

_"As I said before, we're clear. The teenage couple two streets down is too busy smashing their snouts together to see anything, and our target is heading this way fast,"_ the ocelot replied in his usual vacant tone, staring at his manicured claws in mock-boredom.

Wynter sighed, flicking her fluffy tail indignantly. "Thanks, _Sinpurr,"_ she snapped, using the feline's last name for emphasis.

As much as she hated to admit it, Otto had been right. Her nose twitched intently, once again catching a whiff of brand-new technology. He was getting closer, and at an unnaturally quick pace. She'd been doubtful at first, but it seemed their target had the potential to be one of _them._ If that was the case, then the sooner they dealt with him, the better.

_"Right, we're in. Now, let's bring this little freak down,"_ she instructed with a smirk, knowing that her team was more than ready for some action.

Darting ahead, Wynter paused for a second, her ears perking up as the shuffling animal's footsteps echoed throughout the alleyway's narrow confines. She knew from Otto's preliminary scan that the target was a male badger, unarmed and a few years younger than herself. He was also carrying a cheap briefcase filled with unassembled but deadly prototype weapons and potentially lethal encrypted data.

In other words, it was just an average day's work.

"Crazy kids," she muttered disapprovingly, catching sight of him and realizing he couldn't be older then twenty. She almost felt sorry for him.

He should've been out partying, getting into harmless trouble with his friends and... _No, he shouldn't be dating._ She wouldn't wish such a thing on the most despicable of creatures. Even her lowest moments of shoplifting from thrift stores and living in an abandoned nightclub had been a more rewarding experience. One could learn valuable life skills from such hardships, but nothing good would ever come from falling in love. _If she were going to fall,_ Wynter thought cynically, _it would be from the top of an apartment building._ At the very least, she knew it would hurt less.

The faint buzz of a weapon powering up snapped her back into reality, and from the direction of the sound, she knew it had to be Diesel. That crazy rodent enjoyed the dangers of her lifestyle far more than any sane mammal ever should, but Wynter would be hard pressed to find a better Weapons and Demolition expert on the planet, let alone in Zootopia.

_"Alright, you better get this over with, because I don't think Doe can hold the squirrel back much longer."_ Otto said flatly, his voice crackling slightly through the communicator.

_"I'm on it,"_ Wynter muttered, ducking out of sight as the badger approached her hiding place, typing obliviously on his phone with one paw as he walked.

Ears pinned back, she jumped from the relative safety of her shadowy perch and landed easily with a soft thump on the dusty ground. The badger stopped dead in his tracks, pulling back the oversized hood of his sweater in surprise and revealing an expression of anger and shock. After taking a moment to size up his competition, the stocky animal's eyes narrowed as he pushed his way forward, wordlessly challenging her to do something about it.

"Hey kid," Wynter said confidently, draping a paw over her weapon, "you know who I am, and I know who you are, so I'm gonna skip the introductions and go right to the cliches. Basically, we can do this the hard way, or we can take the easy way. Your choice."

The badger ignored what she said, continuing to steadily plow forwards. Her words had failed to buy them any extra time, but in this case, she didn't really need it. Up close, it was obvious he wasn't your average specimen. His gait was unnaturally fluid, his eyes just a little too vibrantly blue. Yeah, she was definitely dealing with her own kind this time, and she wasn't exactly thrilled about it either.

Shoving her aside roughly, the larger animal clutched his briefcase tighter and snarled ominously. "Outta my way, glitch. If you can't see, I've got places to go."

_"Why did I know you'd pick the hard way,"_ she whispered, cursing inwardly.

Unfazed, Wynter brushed herself off and tackled him, pinning him effortlessly against the uneven concrete. He thrashed and kicked violently, nearly throwing her off more than once in his crazed bid for freedom. Years of training had given her an advantage in combat, but brute strength was almost never on her side, and she knew she was going to require backup sooner rather than later.

_"Yeah, yeah, keep flipping out, whatever. Otto, get the scalpel and the gauze ready, because we're dealing with one of our own here,"_ she ordered, pausing once or twice as his claws collided with her shoulder, tearing away the thin layer of protective cloth in a frenzy of fear and rage.

"Get off me," he growled, baring his teeth and slashing manically at the now-uncovered area with renewed strength. Wynter yelped instinctively, feeling something warm and damp begin to soak through her usually plush fur. The smell was metallic, almost bitter. _Blood._ With claws that unnaturally sharp, there was no denying he was a Changeling just like her. _Great._

Thinking quickly, she rolled to the side, letting him go free. The badger was in such a rush to stand that he nearly toppled over, pausing briefly in an attempt to regain his balance. Wynter's confidence returned, knowing he'd played right into her trap. _Hah, looks like he'd be taking the easy way out after all._

With a swift kick to the side of the head, her opponent crumpled to the ground in an unconscious haze, dropping the briefcase soundlessly. Kneeling down, she sped through the necessary protocol and checked for a pulse, which she found easily. He'd have a bit of a headache upon waking up, but nothing worse. So far, everything was going according to plan. She really hoped she hadn't jinxed them by thinking that.

The rest of her team was almost immediately at the scene, something Wynter felt rather grateful for as her adrenaline high started to wear off and the sensation in her shoulder became increasingly unpleasant and difficult to ignore.

"That was some nice clean fighting you did there, Wyn. Classic stuff." Otto commented absentmindedly as he felt along the side of their target's face, eyes lighting up when he found the desired area.

Doe, who was currently looking through the badger's pockets for any form of valuable data, nodded in agreement. "You're alright though, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Wynter answered simply, preferring to keep any potential signs of dependancy under strict lock and key. _Three cheers for experience and learning things the hard way._

"She's fine, Jane. Always is." The ocelot sounded even more uninterested than usual, his full attention focused on a scalpel currently clutched in his steady paw. Pulling back a clump of salt-and-pepper fur, he made a remarkably tiny cut, severing the wire that had once defined so much of this particular animal's existence.

"There you go," he said quietly to his unmoving patient, "you're free now. Go back to petty crime and graffiti, and keep the cops distracted and off our tails. We all know the last thing BlackIce needs is another setback."

Wynter laughed bitterly, doing her best to ignore the pain. "Got that right. We can barely afford the latest zPhone, let alone state-of-the-art tech."

"Yep, and that means _someone_ needs to go through the stolen jewel stash and sell a few things," he said mockingly, squeezing out a few drops of antiseptic ointment and applying it to the badger's wound before wiping off his paws and standing up.

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Wynter replied, flicking her soft white tail as she helped Jane gather any remaining traces of evidence. The kindhearted deer was quick to notice her injury, to which the vixen replied with a somewhat stilted shrug, currently far more interested in the contents of their recently acquired briefcase than her own condition. She'd bandage it herself later, and that would be that, no need for any fuss or pity. _Weakness was her true enemy, after all._

Diesel, who'd been watching the entire scene play out from a strategic location about ten feet off the ground, was the first to notice their target waking up.

"Hey, the dumb guy's twitching! Does that mean I get a round with him?"

Tearing her bright yellow eyes away from their hard-earned prize, Wynter realized the squirrel was right. Good timing, considering they'd already finished up the important stuff and were ready to leave.

"Okay, that's our cue. He won't remember anything, so we need to ditch before we end up giving him something to talk about," the vixen stated, "and no, Diesel, you're not fighting anyone tonight." She added the last part bluntly, hopping over a rather disoriented badger to retrieve her temperamental and weapon-toting friend.

"Alright, we're out," Otto said, swiftly packing up his supplies. Wynter nodded, leading them away from their groggy target and towards the maze of alleys and dead ends, Diesel and Jane arguing loudly behind them over the best type of video game to play on a zPhone.

_**Back with our favorite ZPD officers...** _

Finishing his now-cold coffee, Nick appeared deep in thought, with one paw still resting lazily on the image from earlier as they drove through Zootopia's lively and bustling streets.

Judy kept her eyes on the road, but occasionally glanced at her partner, having thankfully regained her composure a while ago. She felt somewhat bad for laughing at him the way she had earlier, even if what happened _had_ been exceptionally funny. It was clear from his reaction that the fox still had some strong feelings towards their witness, though she wasn't exactly sure what those feelings could be, or how they might potentially affect their still-unsolved case.

"So with the witness being your ex and all, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding her, right?"

Running a paw through his fur, the fox appeared to cheer up slightly as they reached the heart of the city.

"Not exactly. She left Zootopia years ago, and luckily for me I've managed to avoid running into her up until now," he said with a somewhat wry laugh. "I didn't even know she'd come back, which is why I was so surprised when I saw it was her in the picture."

Judy nodded, listening to her friend intently as skyscrapers, billboards and crowds blurred past the cruiser's glossy windows in a dazzling array of shapes and colors.

"I'm guessing you have no idea where to find her at all, then. It doesn't exactly sound like you guys are on address-forwarding terms."

"No," he said quietly, pausing for a moment before his expression brightened, "but I do know a guy who can track her down for us in no time."

The bunny rolled her eyes. _"Of course you do._ Please tell me he isn't another sloth."

"Nope, Carrots, he's a badger." Nick couldn't help but smile, remembering how incredibly frustrated she'd gotten after their encounter with Flash at the DMV.

"Oh and before you ask, because I know you're going to, he's got no relation to Underhill the Joykill or our case."

It was Judy's turn to look amused. She found Nick's odd ability to come up with names for everyone equal parts annoying and endearing, though the Carrots thing could get old in a hurry.

Turning left down a worn-out street at the fox's instruction, she noticed how the sidewalks and storefronts had become ragged and practically deserted.

"So, who is this badger that we're going to be meeting?" Judy asked curiously, swerving to avoid a deep hole in the center of the sun-bleached asphalt road.

"He goes by Mr. X. Real name's Tobias Stripeton, but don't tell him I said that. He works at the nightclub with the giant fake palm trees, you can't miss it."

"Uh-huh," she said sarcastically, "and let me guess, he's a real law-abiding citizen as well."

Nick pretended to look hurt. "Of course! You don't think I'd associate with someone on the wrong side of the law, now do you?"

_"No, never,"_ she said innocently, bringing the car to a stop in front of what had to be the most garish and sloppily decorated building Judy had ever laid eyes on.

Ruined statues and faded, lifeless fake plants could be seen strewn about randomly, the aforementioned palm trees being plastic and in desperate need of a fresh paint job. The building itself leaned precariously to one side, and a part of its roof had been blackened by some form of fire damage.

Judy jumped out of the car and stood gingerly on the dirty and surprisingly hot sidewalk, unable to tear her eyes away from the mess.

"This is it, huh?"

The bunny's somewhat horrified expression seemed to amuse Nick. He lowered his oversized aviators slowly, giving her plenty of time to enjoy the view.

"What, are you not a fan of Mr. X's decorating skills?"

Staring uncomfortably at the decapitated and naked tiger figurine guarding a rusted gateway, she shook her head. "If we're being completely honest, not really."

Nick frowned. "What a shame. I thought you bunnies had good taste when it came to luxury decor."

They continued bantering cheerfully as they approached the building's entrance, Judy trying in vain to avert her innocent eyes from the array of suggestive decorations that lined the club's narrow pathway. It didn't take long for them to reach the door, which was covered in peeling blue paint and slowly falling off its hinges.

"Do we really have to go in there?" Judy asked, stepping over a nasty-looking stain on the cheap cobblestone.

Her partner didn't answer immediately, instead making a grand gesture of opening the door and holding it for her. "Ladies first," he said, smirking.

Inside, the building was no better. It smelled strongly of mildew and cheap alcohol, a combination made even more unpleasant by the heat and lack of airflow. Judy wrinkled her nose in disgust, but Nick appeared unaffected by their surroundings, striding towards the seemingly abandoned desk as though he owned the place. She followed cautiously, making a mental note to shower as soon as she got home.

"It doesn't look like anyone's here," the bunny mused, glancing around at the poorly-decorated and empty room with a morbid sort of curiosity.

Nick shrugged and slammed his paw on the rusted service bell, which almost immediately rewarded them with the sound of papers scattering and awkward footsteps from behind a half-closed door.

"Hold it, hold it, I'm coming!" The voice sounded exasperated, and was quickly followed by something, most likely more papers, hitting the floor and flying everywhere.

The panelled door swung open, revealing an overweight badger in a pinstripe suit, along with a heap of paperwork that had fallen to the ground and now covered the club's cheap carpeting in a blur of stark white. He clambered over the disaster zone somewhat frantically, reaching the front desk a breathless and panting mess. Leaning forward, he shoved aside a few fake-looking documents that covered the scratched surface and sighed loudly.

Then, giving both of his guests the once-over, the older animal adjusted his glasses and nodded with an agreeable smile.

"Well, if it isn't old Nicky and Zootopia's Sweetheart. What can I do for ya?"

**Author's Note:**

> Steffi: Hey, you finished it! Thanks for reading, internet person :D
> 
> Nyxy: Thank you indeed. Now, this chapter is probably a bit longer than the following ones will be, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing it, as did Steffi. Hopefully you liked our fanfic, but hey, I know we can't please everyone. A fun fact for you guys: Steffi does almost all the dialogue and characterization, while I'm mostly responsible for editing and descriptive writing.
> 
> From both of us at Zero Fox Given, thank you and have a good day/night!


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